Can Someone Provide Advice on Appointments

enabozny

New Member
7
Hello,

I am starting a new agency and just the appointment process. I am in New York and basically applying to all carriers in ezlynx. We are starting new and have no book of business but both owners do have experience. Some companies gave us a quick no(hartford, Harleysville) and some seem interested. Any advice anyone can provide? Basically I am most interested in knowing which companies are going to be open to new agencies and which ones we have no shot with.

Thanks for any advice or if anyone can point me in the right direction!


Thanks

Eric
 
Where in NY are you and what is your target market? Erie may be a good fit, but they are going to want (basically) an exclusive contract for 3 years. No other major carriers.
I called a few regionals and they mostly laughed at me. I ended up with 1 direct appt and the rest thru a cluster. It has worked out great for me and my agency. You can't grow without markets, but they won't talk to you without a book. (Erie likes scratch agents though.)

One thing I wish I had done was more industry networking. If the reps know and like you they can pull for you (like the IIABNY events and such.)

Anyway- good luck! I started scratch with no insurance experience and NY is a jungle market. So it can be done- keep calling.
 
Thank you very much for the response. Our target is going to be mainly Non-standard/standard auto. What cluster did you end up going through? It seems that Iroquois is the best I have come across.

Thanks again
 
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